Off Day at NCIS
by gibbslovexo
Summary: Someone at NCIS is having an off day and things can get crazy.
1. Chapter 1

He awoke to the blaring sound of an alarm ringing through his ears. He darted up to a sitting position to investigate the intrusive sound. It was just his alarm clock. He sighed.

He paused, "His alarm clock!" He jolted out of bed and to his closet. He never slept passed his alarm clock. He didn't even know why he used the damn thing.

He hurried around the house trying to get ready and out the door to his truck. He wouldn't have time for coffee before work. He would have to get it at lunch. There was no way in hell he was going to drink the break room's lame excuse for coffee.

He practically ran out the door and drove to work. He contemplated how he could have possibly overslept. Yet, despite sleeping later than usual, he still felt a great sense of exhaustion.

He decided to shake it off and focus on the road.

When he arrived at work he saw Tony Dinozzo, his senior agent, Tim McGee, his junior agent, and Ellie Bishop, his probie.

All eyes were on him when he entered. He is never late.

"Uh, hey Boss," McGee greeting shyly. "Everything Alright?" he asked more curious than concerned.

He just gave his agent a small but noticeable nod which shut his agent up.

He sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't remember the last time he was this tired.

Well, actually he could but that was another story for another time.

He opened his eyes to see his agents working diligently and that the time had changed from 0700 to 0830.

He shot up and checked his phone's clock to be sure that an hour and a half had gone by.

He looked over and saw a cup of coffee on his desk and then heard his senior agent speak, "Figured you could use some caffeine Boss."

Looking up to his agent still in his confused sleep filled haze, he stood up and headed for the elevator.

"Going to see Abby." He said.

They had no case, but he hadn't seen his lab rat yet today and he figured he would stop in to say hello.

"Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!" she exclaimed jumping him into a hug that only Abby could give.

"Hey Abbs." He smiled.

She looked him over, "Are you okay Gibbs? You always come in to see me at 8 in the morning and never later. I called your desk and Tony answered. He said you were busy."

"I'm fine Abbs. It's just been an off-day." He assured her.

"An off-day? McGee gets off days, Tony and Bishop and Me, we all get off days, but you _never_ have an off day."

She interrogated him. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"Nope," he smiled, "because nothing is wrong." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked out the door to the elevator.

Abby didn't believe him for a second.

Especially since he forgot her caf-pow.


	2. Chapter 2

He hit the elevator switch off. He needed time to think. He could definitely feel an off-putting feeling but he couldn't place exactly what it was.

He leaned up against the cool metal wall and rested his head, which he then noticed was blatantly throbbing against his skull.

He took out his poor pathetic excuse for a cellphone and glanced at himself in the reflection of the black lock screen.

He thought for a second that he may have seen a glimpse of a grave composure, but it was gone by the time he had a chance to do a double take.

Whatever was going on, would be gone by lunch, he was sure of it.

But now that he thought about it, maybe he wasn't sure.

And now that he _really_ thought about it, he could sense an off feeling in the core of his gut.

Or was it his stomach?

He shook his head and flipped the elevator switch back on. He decided he would try to ignore the now crystal clear _off_ feeling until lunch when he could get something into his stomach.

He walked back into the bullpen and sat at his desk; ignoring the obvious stares coming from his agents.

Staring at his computer screen for four hours had definitely taken a toll on the head throbbing, but it was not the first time that the annoyance of technology had put a strain on his head.

He waited until Dinozzo stood up to write down what his co-workers wanted for lunch. It was Dinozzo's turn to pay anyway.

Tony didn't even need to approach his boss to ask what be wanted because he gets the same thing everyday: burger and coffee.

Except today was different;

Just as Tony was about to walk out of the bullpen he saw Gibbs stand up and walk his way.

"I'm coming with you." His boss said.

Tony decided not to argue, however odd it seemed. He just nodded his head and walked to the elevator with Gibbs.

They arrived back at the Navy Yard parking lot after a very awkward, and long car ride.

He sure as hell wasn't going to tell Dinozzo about his off feeling, but he needed to get out of his chair and walk around.

They got out of Tony's car and began to walk back to the building when the same _off_ feeling from his gut, or stomach, migrated to his head.

He walked a bit closer to his senior agent as his head began swim with confusion and hazed vision. His last thought that he could remember, was that he wished he would've stayed home today and that he should've realized something was off from the moment he woke up to his intrusive alarm clock. All this before he reached out to grip Tony's arm next to him and felt his sharp decline as his vision darkened.


	3. Chapter 3

"Boss!" Tony yelled as we watched his mentor and friend deteriorate to the ground.

He attempted to catch him but the decline was far to surprising and fast.

Time stood still.

"I need a bus!" Tony screamed to no one in particular.

People, whom Tony had never gotten the chance to know, rushed over to help with the fallen federal agent.

Tony immediately took charge, something that he knew how to do all to well from His Boss' little Mexico escapade.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared.

He knew that he had to man-up and start listening to his gut, but honestly, right now all he wanted to do was listen to his Boss'.

...

When the paramedics finally arrived Tony had been desperately attempting to keep Abby, Tim, and Bishop away from all of the chaos.

He knew that Gibbs wouldn't want them worrying.

Of course Abby ended up breaking past Tony's wall of secrets and rushed over to the ambulance.

They all knew that something had been off about their Boss.

They all thought the same thing: they should've done something.

Tony gave up on his 'Gibbs shield' and ran to the back of the ambulance with Ducky.

The ride to the hospital was possibly more eventful then the incident in the courtyard;

At first, Gibbs was passed out in the stretcher as the back paramedic constantly checked his vitals and repeating, "Don't worry Agent Gibbs, you'll be okay."

Tony had to laugh at that statement. If anyone knew Gibbs, they would know that he does _not_ worry.

About half way to the hospital, Gibbs shot up straight in the stretcher and became frantic.

He was screaming and confused and telling the men in the back with him to let him off the ambulance.

He immediately looked to the senior agent for answers.

"You passed out on the way back from lunch." He answered the unspoken question.

Gibbs instantly began to defend himself. "I just didn't eat yet today I'm fine!" He stated

Tony shook his head, "Gibbs I've seen you survive days at a time just on coffee alone. Just lay back and this will all be over soon.

Gibbs couldn't argue, he was exhausted and secretly wished that he was at home with his dreadful alarm clock.

As they arrived at the hospital, Gibbs was carried in one direction, and Ducky and Tony another.

"We need to go with him." Tony told the nurse.

"I'm sorry sir, but we are just taking him for tests, once the tests are over with I can promise you that we will bring you to him." The nurse said with a sympathetic smile.

...

They had been sitting in the waiting room for a little over two hour when Tony broke the silence.

"What do you think is wrong with him Ducky?"

Ducky shook his head, "I haven't a clue Anthony, but the doctors will fix whatever is wrong."

As if on cue, someone called out "Agent Gibbs?"

Tony and Ducky stood up and walked over to the doctor.

"Hi you must be Doctor Mallard, And Anthony Dinozzo. I'm Doctor Collins" They nodded waiting for a diagnosis.

Tony bite in the side of his mouth out of nervousness. He was bracing for what ever the doctor had to say, clenching his teeth.

He was preparing for 'heart attack, stroke, cancer, death'.

"Well it's good news," Doctor Collins started. "After looking over the testing we have done, we can not find a single thing wrong with your agent, besides the fact he is one stubborn man.

Tony felt relief and laughed at the doctors comment about Gibbs being stubborn.

Ducky stepped in, "So why did he lose consciousness Doctor?" He said.

"Well it's hard to say, sometimes being stressed could be a major factor in fainting or feeling sick, he could have been feeling a great amount of stress over work, home, relationships, etc."

Tony and Ducky both shook their heads at the same time, Gibbs doesn't get stressed. Gibbs is the one you _makes_ you stressed.

"On the other hand," the Doctor began. "Dehydration is what I am thinking. Although coffee is a good source of energy, it simply lacks the nutrients that the body needs to stay on top of things. As long as he starts drinking more water or gatorade, I think the problem should resolve itself." He finished.

"So you didn't find anything out of the norm in his tests?" Ducky asked.

Doctor Collins shook his head, "That being said, there is no reason for him to stay here, as long as he drinks plenty of water and gets something in his stomach, he will be fine."

Tony was so relieved and smiled at what the Doctor was saying.

...

It was hospital protocol for Gibbs to be wheeled out in a wheelchair, but as soon as he got outside, he stood up and got into McGee's car, who showed up to pick the three men up.

Gibbs sat in the passenger seat, and Tony sat in the back with Ducky.

Tony looked up to the front of the car to find Gibbs asleep with his head leaning up against the window.

'Odd.' Tony thought. The hospital didn't say anything about giving his Boss any drugs, so Gibbs must be genuinely tired.

The drive home was quiet, but it was a calm quiet. Tony, McGee, and Ducky were all worried about Gibbs, but they were content with the fact that he was resting and nothing negative showed up on his tests.

...

When they arrived at Gibbs' house, McGee and Ducky stayed in the car while Tony helped Gibbs up to his door.

Tony opened the door for Gibbs, who was surprisingly not arguing.

When Tony was satisfied that his Boss was comfortable in his basement and would be okay for the night, he left to get a ride back to the Navy Yard to get his car.

The Doctor at the hospital said that Gibbs was all clear for work tomorrow, not like Gibbs would've stayed away.

...

Gibbs still had that _off_ feeling, but he felt better that the hospital didn't find anything wrong.

Still, he couldn't help feeling like something was wrong, and for a split second he thought he could feel someone watching him. But the feeling disappeared so quick that he dismissed it and went upstairs to bed.

He got into his bed and remembered to set his alarm clock for an hour earlier.

Just in case.


	4. Chapter 4

He awoke to the peace and quiet of the birds outside.

He slowly sat up and smiled to see that his alarm clock would be going off for another hour. Which meant his internal clock was back to normal.

Everything was back to normal. That _off_ feeling was gone.

He went downstairs to begin his morning routine.

 _Coffee. Clothes. Breakfast. Coffee._

He sat down with his coffee and bowl of cereal and read the morning paper.

He was amazed at how stupid the newspapers have gotten. Who cares about a cat playing the piano? He wanted to see the real news like a service man or woman getting awarded for outstanding excellence. But no one cares about that stuff anymore. It's all about cats now.

He stopped to stare at his cereal. It must be old because he could taste a bitterness to it.

Oh well, he thought to himself. He's eaten worse during his times in the corps.

When he finished his cereal he put the paper down, walked to the fridge, and downed an entire bottle of water. _Doctor's Orders._ After he was well hydrated he grabbed another cup of coffee and walked out the door to his car.

This mornings car ride to work was much better and more relaxing than yesterday.

He had no worries or _off_ feelings and he was completely content with himself.

...

It was a calm day at NCIS. Of course Tony kept an eye on his Boss as they sat around the bullpen.

Around lunch time McGee got up at went out to get lunch for everyone. He brought back burgers, coffee, and of course, water for his boss.

When he got off the elevator he wlked up to each coworkers desk to deliver their food.

When he reached his boss what he saw concerned him a bit.

Pale skin, baggy eyes, asleep with his head back and his hands on his keyboard.

McGee looked over at Tony who just shrugged

Tony knew that the _off_ feeling had obviously returned, but he just wished he could help his boss feel better.

He had seen Gibbs drinking water all day so he was no longer dehydrated.

This is what he feared, he had a feeling that this was more than just dehydration but the hospital found nothing else wrong. So why the hell was he worrying so much? He knows that Gibbs can handle himse-

Just then Gibbs shot up in his chair and screamed falling to the floor. He began struggling for air and became frantic to reach for something to support him up. Tony was immediately by his side watching his mentor and friend once again in a completely vulnerable state.

He hoped that someone had already called an ambulance because there was no way he was going to leave his Boss' side.

He kept telling Gibbs everything would be okay. He looked into his vulnerable big blue eyes when he saw the light in them disappear right before him.

Tony thought, 'Dehydration my ass'


	5. Chapter 5

He sat there by his Boss all night. Not moving until he had answers.

When they got to the hospital the doctors sedated him and he has been out since then.

Tony could not shake the memory of Gibbs' light disappearing from his eyes. He shivered at the thought. It was so haunting.

Ducky, Abby, Bishop, and Tim were all asleep in the chairs scattered throughout the room.

Gibbs would slap Tony if he knew that the younger man hadn't slept on his account.

"Tony?" He heard a hoarse voice whisper.

He looked over to see Gibbs' eyes staring at him. No trace of light in them.

"Hey Boss," he said lightly. "Nice of you to join us."

"Somethins wrong with me Tony." Gibbs slurred.

Tony gave his boss a sympathetic look. "Were gonna figure it out don't worry boss."

"Mkay, I trust you." Gibbs said just as he fell back into a morphine induced sleep.

...

When the sun came up it wasn't long until Doctor Collins came into the room, waking the sleeping agents and doctor.

Everyone was on their feet to hear the news while Gibbs was still sleeping.

Doctor Collin's face could tell all. "That bad?" Abby started crying.

He shook his head, "we ran every test we could, triple checked twice, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Agent Gibbs." He said confidently earning a few confused stares.

"Doc no offense but he passed out twice and the second time he couldn't breathe," Tony began "there's gotta be something wrong."

Doctor Collins shook his head once more handing Ducky Gibbs' test rests. "Other than a bit raised blood pressure, the tests show nothing abnormal going on with Agent Gibbs. However, I agree that something is certainly _off_ , so ai would like Agent Gibbs to stay tonight to be monitored for any further symptoms.

Tony nodded, "He'll be okay?"

"He should be fine Agent Dinozzo, maybe my previous suggestion of a stress related issue could be correct."

Tony nodded again not knowing what to think except he had to admit he was happy that nothing serious showed up.

...

That afternoon when Gibbs woke up, Tony told him what the Doctor had said, and Tony could tell from his face that he didn't believe it.

The poor man wanted to retaliate in frustration so badly, but the medicine was so strong he couldn't help but stay calm.

...

He must've fell asleep because when he opened his eyes next, his room was dark and empty, the moon was out and the only sound that could be heard was that of his own heart monitor.

It took him a couple seconds to realize what woke him,. He could hear someone at the door and when it finally opened he saw a young doctor walk in.

"Hello Agent Gibbs, I'm Doctor Williams. I'll just be checking your vitals and leave you to your sleep." He said with a smile.

"You aren't my doctor." Gibbs said trying to sit up. "Where is my team?"

Doctor Collins went home for the night sir, and your team went home. They said they didn't want to be here any longer or something.

That hit an emotion in Gibbs, hurt. His team didn't want to be here?

"Could you please life your left arm Agent Gibbs sp I can take a look at your IV?" The doctor said.

"Uh, I'd rather wait for Doctor Collins in the morning."

The young man laughed, "It wont take long, I promise." He felt Gibbs pulse. "Good pulse, heart rate seems to be fine." He assured.

"It says here that Doctor Collins ordered a bit more morphine for you. I'll give that to you right away." He said pulling a syringe out if his lab coat.

"Can I see the order you have in writing?" Gibbs questioned.

Doctor Williams shook his head. "You have nothing to worry about Agent Gibbs. This will only take a second."

Gibbs sat back as his gut screamed one thing at him: _off._

 _..._

"What's taking so long Duck? It's been an hour since the doctor said they were taking him for tests." Tony said pacing back and forth. He didn't want to leave his vulnerable boss even if it was just for a test. But this is taking to long.

"Anthony be patient, we will be back in with Jethro in no time."

Tony sat back down into the waiting room chair as hit gut screamed one thing at him: _off..._


	6. Chapter 6

It had now been three hours and Tony could no longer wait to see his Boss.

Just as he was about to get up, Doctor Collins walked out. "What are you guys doing out here?" He asked.

Tony looked at him in confusion and anger. "What do you mean?! YOU ordered tests for him and they're taking forever! We've been out here for almost four hours!"

"What are you talking about Tony?" He looked oddly confused.

Tony began yelling, "Your night doc, Doctor Williams, said that you ordered a few tests to be done!"

"Who is Doctor Williams? There is no Doctor Williams at Bethesda."

Tony glanced over at Ducky and the others, then turned back to Collins. He locked eyes with the Doctor and as if sharing the same thoughts, they both darted to the hallway where Gibbs' room was.

Tony got to the room first, breaking through the door to see his Boss asleep in bed. He walked over to Gibbs and shook his shoulder, "Gibbs! Are you okay?" He asked desperately while Doctor Collins checked his vitals.

Gibbs cracked a tired eye open and with a hoarse and exhausted voice, looked at Tony saying, "The other side of the bed."

Tony looked at him confused. He slowly made his way to the opposite side of the bed to see the young man, who said he was Gibbs' doctor, passed out on the floor with blood dripping from his head.

Tony looked to Gibbs waiting for an explanation. He could see the dark circles under his boss' eyes and went over and sat on Gibbs bed to talk with him.

Gibbs spoke softly, "IV..drugs..punched him..fell..I, passed out." He couldn't focus.

...

Tony once again found himself in the waiting room while Doctor Collins attended to Gibbs. That bastard had injected Gibbs with alcamethine, a drug that causes one to hallucinate, feel drained, unfocused, and lose consciousness. It is undetected in the blood stream and the only trace of the drug that is visible is high blood pressure.

Tony's phone rang with McGee's name. He picked it up to hear Tim and Abby giving him the breakdown on how Kyle Marcus, a Navy drug dealer caught by Gibbs in 2006, broke into Gibbs house, poisoned his food, coffee, and hand-tools and taunted him in his own house.

Tony was brought back into Gibbs' hospital room and he sat back down on the bed.

"I'm sorry boss, I should've realized soone-"

"Dinozzo I swear to God if you apologize one more time I'm gonns stick that syringe up your ass." Gibbs threatened with his eyes closed shut.

"Glad to see your feeling better." Tony smiled. He knew that everything would be okay, finally.

However, Doctor Collins said it would be another few days or so until the drug was completely out of his system, but Tony vowed to be with his Boss every step of the way.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah Boss?" He acknowledged gently.

Gibbs paused to think. "Can I have my burger now?"

...

Please review and leave suggestions for more stories! THANK YOU


End file.
